‘How much is the new Xbox?’ would have once been the questions on everyones’ lips. Well let’s readjust that a bit for 2020: ‘How much are the new Xboxes?’ Hmm, not bad but still not quite where Microsoft is heading, how about ‘How much are the new Xboxes per month?’ Nailed it.
Mobile phones taught a generation that you didn’t need to pay for something upfront in order to get the latest technology. And that has now extended to car leasing as well. Well now it’s come to consoles, with Microsoft pushing the message, next-gen from just £21 across its marketing push from Series S and Series X.
And it all makes perfect sense. Microsoft has pushed continuity in hardware, which has allowed in turn for multiple consoles at launch. And, like a mobile phone, Microsoft is keen to sell consumers not just a device but also a service plan (in this case Game Pass) to go with it.
Combine all of that and Microsoft is now perfectly positioned to tackle selling the next generation not for £250 or £450, plus the cost of games of course, but instead to let consumers swallow its green pill for just £21 a month, welcome to the next generation.
It wasn’t hard to see coming, Xbox All Access has been running for a while now, but a new console generation brings certainty that the console you’re buying over the next two years is ‘the console’ that you want. Throw in the megaton bomb of the EA Play announcement and it’s super easy sell. Especially if you do the math and work out that All Access Xboxes are actually cheaper than buying the disparate parts of the console and the Game Pass service.
“But instead to let consumers swallow its green pill for just £21 a month, welcome to the next generation.”
For those who prefer to pay upfront there’s still some great options, two consoles at very different price points mean the next-generation is no longer just for early adopters. It’s a great plan, one that’s been long in the making, but no less satisfying to see it arrive.
While we rather dislike the concept of a ‘console war’, competition is important for teh industry to thrive and multiple, strong platforms are a boon for everyone. Now, the ball is now firmly in Sony’s court, and we think it will need to significantly undercut the Series X with its own PS5 Digital Edition in order to reclaim some momentum after the last couple of days.
One intriguing thing we’ve seen from Sony so far, was it collecting PSN IDs in advance of pre-orders. With stocks likely to be tight, the idea of rewarding its most dedicated players with a place at the front of the queue is an ingenious one that will sit well with everyone.
